Stage 18: Albi- Mende

[Guest]

Stage 18: Albi- Mende 189 km


http://www.cyclingnews.com/road/2005//tour05/graphics/profile18.gif

[alanbikehouston]

Okay. Three times I've picked a stage where I thought Lance would ride to win the stage. Three times there has been some disappointment.

But, I've dusted off the crystal ball. And, Lance is gonna win this stage.

Certainly, he does not want to have to explain to his grandchildren how he won his 7th Tour de France, winning the indivividual time trial, BUT not winning even ONE of the regular stages. So, today's the day. But don't bet your house or your kids' college fund....the 'ol crystal ball has been on the fritz lately.

[2wheeled]

Whether Lance wins or not, with that sharp climb so close to the end you can bet that it will be one ferocious gallop up the climb. Basso will try one last attack, Ullrich will try to get a little time on Rasmussen and Vino... hmm.. why does he wear that funny colored jersey again.

Having said that my money's on Horner ;)

[meb]

.....Vino... hmm.. why does he wear that funny colored jersey again.



To help him win stage 18. Enough climb and sprint mix for Vino at the end getting and getting the bonus time.

[fogrider]

yes, cat 2, cat 3 and cat 4 climbs, Vino and Basso will attack...on an architectural/engineering note... this stage will be passing through the town Millau...this is site of the Millau Aquaduct jsut completed in January of this year. They will not be racing on the bridge (big dissapointment), but I'm sure Phil will run out things to say and the helicopter will get some shots of it as they ride by it.
http://www.athenaamerica.com/library/public_images/Millau_Bridge_over_Tarn_River_France.jpg

[Dinstee]

yes, cat 2, cat 3 and cat 4 climbs, Vino and Basso will attack...on an architectural/engineering note... this stage will be passing through the town Millau...this is site of the Millau Aquaduct jsut completed in January of this year. They will not be racing on the bridge (big dissapointment), but I'm sure Phil will run out things to say and the helicopter will get some shots of it as they ride by it.
http://www.athenaamerica.com/library/public_images/Millau_Bridge_over_Tarn_River_France.jpg


WoW! I can hear it now. "......and the chasing group has been dropped by the leader's pinultimate performance on this massive bridge"! :)

[hi565]

I have a very large feeling that people will attack, but armstrong in the end will ahve this stage win.

[rich007]

Man, that is some bridge...

On the topic though, this is the last chance for Lance to claim his win... Hopefully, it'll work out for him tomorrow;)

[TheKidd]

Vinokourov. solid win.

[Crack'n'fail]

Well, if it's going to happen they're going to need to start to reel them in, that's a pretty sizable gap.

[djpluv]

I'm totally bumming about Lance right now. Last year he kicked the crap out of everyone darn near everyday. This year he's just sitting up and playing it safe... pretty boring. I really wanted to see a stage win (in the mountains, especially). I was hoping for some magic today, but the gap is pretty solid and holding.

[Crack'n'fail]

Well, Lance just picked Axel to win the stage, so it doesn't look good for them to get caught unless some other team gets excited about pulling them back soon.

[Laggard]

I don't see them pulling back 15 minuts in 18k.

Roberts
Merckx
Serrano

[djpluv]

Oh man... i just saw that naked guy running alongside Da Cruz on the climb... i needed a good laugh today :-)

[Laggard]

Crap. I forgot it was an uphill finish.

[Crack'n'fail]

wow, these climbs are more brutal than I had imagined they were going to be. I wonder what it will do to the main field?

[^*^BATMAN^*^]

Nice finish by Serrano

[Laggard]

Well I got two out of the top three.

[^*^BATMAN^*^]

Basso just pased LA

[SunSwingsLow]

LA has had an answer to all attacks this tour. Ullrich gained some time back on Rassmussen as well. It does appear that the podium is shaping up to be pretty predictable.

LA
Basso
Ullrich

[alanbikehouston]

I'm totally bumming about Lance right now. Last year he kicked the crap out of everyone darn near everyday. This year he's just sitting up and playing it safe... pretty boring. I really wanted to see a stage win (in the mountains, especially). I was hoping for some magic today, but the gap is pretty solid and holding.


It is illegal in 43 states to criticize Lance. Here in Texas, saying anything negative about Lance is a death penalty offense. So, it would not be prudent for me to say that I agree with you, however....

[jbonus]

I'm so glad Jan took back 37 seconds on Rasmussen! I hope he can shave off a little more time tomorrow before he goes into the ITT on Saturday. It looks like Jan's finally shaken off the effects from his two crashes.

[effulgent]

Did anyone else catch the comment made about the CSC team by Phil Liggit when they were talking about their boot camp training in winter? About where where were they when they taught about leaving no man behind?

My husband and I both laughed out loud at that one.

[Smoothie104]

Did anyone else catch the comment made about the CSC team by Phil Liggit when they were talking about their boot camp training in winter? About where where were they when they taught about leaving no man behind?

My husband and I both laughed out loud at that one.


They were reffering to this...

http://www.csc.com/features/2004/62.shtml


http://www.cyclingnews.com/features.php?id=features/2004/csc_boot_camp

[Devil]

Serrano? Who cares? He'll never win a Tour de France. He is not a top contender, merely a pretender. He's worthless.

Lance Lance Lance Lance Lance. Armstrong.

[^*^BATMAN^*^]

Serrano? Who cares? He'll never win a Tour de France. He is not a top contender, merely a pretender. He's worthless.

Lance Lance Lance Lance Lance. Armstrong.

A pretender that just won a stage at the Tour de France..........

[Devil]

A pretender that just won a stage at the Tour de France..........
But it wasn't a "mountain" stage. Where was he in the "Pyrenees" or the "Alps"? Hiding in the autobus, that's where. He's "a" terrible rider. I'm surprised he hasn't "quit" yet.

[Laggard]

Devil's right. Serrano will never "win" the TDF. He'll probably come down with "mono" so he doesn't have to "ride" into "Paris."

[djpluv]

Anyone think that was a d!ck move by Vasseur to sprint aorund Axel for 2nd? I know Axel looked quite peeved... he did a lot of work on that climb. Hard to say how I'd have handled it had that been me, but I think the class thing to do would have been to just sit on his wheel across the line. 3rd place is still a podium finish.

[chemcycle]

Certainly, he does not want to have to explain to his grandchildren how he won his 7th Tour de France, winning the indivividual time trial, BUT not winning even ONE of the regular stages

Gandad, you only won the GC at the TdF? What a loser!!

[alanbikehouston]

Gandad, you only won the GC at the TdF? What a loser!!

So, out of Lance's seven wins, where will 2005 rank? I know we live in a world where at some schools, the "average" grade is an "A minus", and "everyone is a winner". But, if you ranked Lance's seven wins from "one" to "seven", are you claiming that 2005 is his strongest performance? And, are you also saying that in all of the Tours since 1903, THIS is the "most dominating" performance by a yellow jersey holder?

Anquetil was famous for doing "just enough" to win, but nothing more. Merckx preferred to WIN. Different strokes...

[edp773]

I am impressed with the Giant rider Alexandre Vinokourov. This riders name is new to me, but since outdoor life took over, I do not get to watch much of the tour.

[He's "a" terrible rider. I'm surprised he hasn't "quit" yet.]

If he is such a terrible rider, why is he sponsored and why has won a stage. Lets face it, he is good enough to be amongst the best in the world. Are you???

[fore0121]

I am impressed with the Giant rider Alexandre Vinokourov. This riders name is new to me, but since outdoor life took over, I do not get to watch much of the tour.

[He's "a" terrible rider. I'm surprised he hasn't "quit" yet.]

If he is such a terrible rider, why is he sponsored and why has won a stage. Lets face it, he is good enough to be amongst the best in the world. Are you???


Thanks for playing along. The quotes were for sarcasm.
f

[Devil]

Lets face it, he is good enough to be amongst the best in the world. Are you???
Mmmm, logical fallacies.

[Doid23]

So, out of Lance's seven wins, where will 2005 rank? I know we live in a world where at some schools, the "average" grade is an "A minus", and "everyone is a winner". But, if you ranked Lance's seven wins from "one" to "seven", are you claiming that 2005 is his strongest performance? And, are you also saying that in all of the Tours since 1903, THIS is the "most dominating" performance by a yellow jersey holder?

Anquetil was famous for doing "just enough" to win, but nothing more. Merckx preferred to WIN. Different strokes...

How did Merckx do in the Tour when he was 34 years old? I think Eddy would take a win at 34, any way he could get it, because he would be smart enough to realize that you need some smarts/experience/ tactics to win with an engine with a lot of miles on it. Or was Merckx more concerned about "style" than about winning, that he would prefer to lose with style, than win with experience. I don't know, he always struck me as a winner, first and foremost, at any cost, no matter the means.

[maalea]

Eddy was a d!ck. At the time it was considered "Sporting" to let the "Local Boy" lead the peloton into town. He changed that. All he cared about was "Winning"

[Ti-Carbo]

I am finding this tour a bit "boring". 15-20 minute break-aways that are not challenged and attacks for the GC that are covered in a minute. I was really hoping that the teams would challenge each other, but it seems that racing for the podium or the top ten is the theme. Vino has been the highlight for me - never say die - attack anytime you’re not in the red zone - and it's either a stage win or respirator!
Just my 2 Euro's

[fogrider]

I was really hoping for Axel...he did all the work, but that is why they call it a race...Axel should have eased up and save some energy for the end.

In any case, I can't get enough of the the bridge!

[sch]

I believe Vino wears a distinctive jersey color because he is the national champion of Kazakstan. Quite a number of riders have distinctive jerseys for that reason.
From reviewing the stage one TT results, Mancebo and Rasmussen have a LOT to worry about. Mancebo especially seems likely to lose 3min or more. If Ullrich does the TT of his life he could bounce Rasmussen back to 4th. Landis will also have to ride extremely well to keep up with Vino or pass Evans.
Steve

[alanbikehouston]

Eddy was a d!ck. At the time it was considered "Sporting" to let the "Local Boy" lead the peloton into town. He changed that. All he cared about was "Winning"

When you joined the Forum, you agreed to abide by Forum rules. If you re-read the Forum's "Code of Conduct", you will notice that "Rule Number One" is:

"NO criticism of Eddie Merckx will be tolerated in the Forums."


Go hence, and sin no more.

[zonatandem]

Lance specializes in the Tour . . . E. Merckx did not specialize, he just won everything . . .

[maalea]

My bad. I thought rule #1 was no criticizing of "LA".

[Thylacine]

No no, that's compulsory. If it weren't, this forum would be taken over by fanboys with Livestrong and Nike tattoos, who only discovered cycling 3 years ago because they were too stupid to be able to figure out Soccer.

[gmason]

At the time it was considered "Sporting" to let the "Local Boy" lead the peloton into town. He changed that.
That still happens a lot. Unless it is the last town of the stage. :p

[Dolomiti]

That still happens a lot. Unless it is the last town of the stage. :p

I wonder if Merckx ever did the dirty if they went through his town. Attacking when they think you're coming back. Like that one ******* in the 2001 Tour.